( I'm so sorry about the absence guys, a lot of stuff in real life getting in the way of my internet time. Thanks for dragging my character along )

Noticing it was another elf, Linnadhiel quickly lowered her weapon. She was not keen on killing another elf, as before. She nodded at her greeting, staying silent. Something about this Rhavaniel's personality seemed larger than life, and it humbled her. There was a royal feeling around her too, although she was no relative of Legolas, with her chocolate-brown hair. Coming out of the bushes, Linnadhiel sat back down at the fire, staring into the flames. She covered her hands again. No one had seemed to notice, which she didn't mind in the slightest, but this newcomer might. She seemed like one who might judge a person quickly.

She listened to Naerwen and Rhavaniel speak for a while, but soon tired of the talk. She tried to look for an opening in the conversation, but she soon found she had nothing to contribute. Her life was a simple one, without much adventure. It mostly consisted of her just sending a message, then staying somewhere else, then sending another message. She decided to walk away from the fire a bit to keep watch, as she wasn't feeling particularly drowsy. Muttered "Please excuse me," to the others, she walked away from them, passing Nostariel, who looked like she was about to pass out. She checked the horses quickly, then moved a bit more away and sat against a fairly sized boulder, thinking, as she did.

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Thanks to Lembas for the beautiful banner and avatar! <3

Naerwen relaxed back onto her haunches. Perhaps it had been imagination or the darkness playing tricks on her eyes. She moved closer to the heat of the fire, her eyes still staring intently where she had spied the movement. Better safe than sorry, she thought.

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Linnadhiel turned, hearing something move on the other side of the campsite. A rustle in the bushes. It was no elf. Seeing Naerwen relax a bit after she stiffened reassured her, and she turned back to lean on the rock. It's nothing, you fool, she thought to herself, Just a night animal. Still, she kept an ear listening in that direction.

(Yay, 100 posts! )

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Thanks to Lembas for the beautiful banner and avatar! <3

To ease her mind, Naerwen stood and ventured out into the darkness. Not too far though. Her foot steps were light as they moved along the ground. Her flicked swiftly with the movement of her head she looked around in the darkness. There was a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. The feeling that she was being watched by something most unfriendly. Pausing for a moment she listened to the darkness. She could her the light crunch of grass under foot. Her lips pursed tightly as she tried to pinpoint the source of the noise.

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(I probably won't be able to post much today; it's my mom's b-day and I have no clue how we are going to celebrate.)

Nostariel peered about until she too felt--if not heard--the prescence of another being. He stomach began to churn.
Couldn't they be left alone in peace for one night?
Swallowing a sigh, she withdrew from the comforting warmth of the fire and filtered through the trees, trying to circle the camp to get a glimpse of what-ever-it-was. As she neared the opposite side of the camp, fear crept up her spine, making her scalp prickle.

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Zirakzigil ai menu Duzhuk! Zirakzigil, at your service!
[~^!?]

There was a whistle in the wind. Whack! An arrow whizzed past her cheek and planted itself in a nearby tree. Naerwen turned to look at the arrow. It was black and mangled. "Orcs," she whispered as she crouched low to the ground reaching for her long bow and quiver. "Get down!" she hissed to her companions as she listened to guage their movements.

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Nostariel heard Naerwen's hissed, "Get down!" and was sorely tempted to ignore it and charge into the enemy ranks. She debated within herself before deciding to heed it. The second she ducked an arrow impaled the tree where her head had been! Dropping to the ground, she rolled until she was behind another tree and began shimmying up into the branches, grateful she wore breeches instead of a skirt.

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Zirakzigil ai menu Duzhuk! Zirakzigil, at your service!
[~^!?]

Naerwen silently crept toward the enemy. She made sure she stayed as low down to the ground as possible. Once closs enough she notched an arrow onto her bow. Looking down her arrow she narrowed in on her target. The next second the arrow was gone and her enemy felled.

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Rhavaniel too had wandered off slightly, paying her respects to Ruscien in silence, but she too had felt the change in their surroundings. Her nerves tingled as she made her way back towards where her companions had been. Nostariel and Naerwen she could see- But where was her kin from Mirkwood, Linnadhiel? The pale one with the hands she so desperately tried to hide. A crack in the undergrowth halted her train of thought- The blond. It must be, her mind raced then slowed to a simpler conclusion as she heard the low creak of a bow made of crude wood.
As soon as she saw the first arrow fly she reached for her own bow, flinching as she remembered her damaged wrist. Her bow lay near the campfire somewhere, abandoned in the low light. With a gentle cuss she melted back into the shadows and held still for a moment. When she closed her eyes she could hear the ragged breathing of orcs nearby. They were so close.
Frozen she tried to gauge if she could wield her sword with her left arm- Probably, but her right was not stable enough to give her enough balance during battle. She could not scale the tree she was leaning against either. Her movements might give her away. Sauron's spawn had night-vision to rival an elf's and they were much less hesitant when it came to shooting on reflex. All that was left was to stay hidden amongst the dense foliage for the time being and wait for an opportunity to unsheath her weapon. If she could strike from behind she would have enough swing to get out of sight or recover as she saw fit.

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. O r b i s N o n S u f f i c i t .

Upon impulse Naerwen took to the trees. Reaching this new view, showed her how many orcs she and her company were facing. There was many. Seemed to be a huge troop on a mission. Naerwen notched several arrows to her bow and shot them into the crowd. Looking along her branch she spied connections between the trees. Maybe if she could get to the other side of the orcs she could draw them away from her new found friends. Naerwen tiptoed along the branch and jumped delicately onto the branch of the neighbouring tree.

Once round the other side of the orcs she dropped down, landing gracefully. At once she began to fire arrows at them. Most of the time her arrows hit their targets. However some evaded her. To her shock the orcs were drawing closer to her friends. Naerwen pursued them. Slinging her bow over her shoulder she pulled out her twin blades. She slashed at the orcs, her feet moving swiftly as though in an elegant, but deadly, dance.

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Nostariel pulled her bow--which she had wisely grabbed when she had gotten up--and took an arrow from her quiver. Ever a stickler for proper stance, she twisted her body to the side, but then realized that she didn't have enough room to do so. Cursing under her breath, she nocked and drew in the same instant and fired the next. A squeal told her that she had made a kill. She had no time to think about that, so she drew and fired volley after volley into the oncoming enemy, changing her position so as not to make a target of herself. She fired again and reached into her quiver to find she only had one arrow left.
"Drat!"

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Zirakzigil ai menu Duzhuk! Zirakzigil, at your service!
[~^!?]

Naerwen looked around at her friends as she blocked an orcs attack. She spotted Nostarial who seemed to be out of arrows. "Nostariel!" She yelled as she threw her quiver over to her.

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Hearing her name, Nostariel turned just in time to catch the quiver. She flashed a brilliant smile Naerwen's way before getting back to business. Taking a brief minute to take stock of her friends positions, she noticed that Raelyn was hacking away with her sword and Eliniel shot from behind another tree. Linnadhiel and Rhavaniel were no where in sight, but then she spotted Rhavaniel hunched over beneath a tree. An orc headed straight for her and Nostariel loosed the arrow from instinct and was satisfyed to her a grunt as the creature fell dead at her friend's feet.

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Zirakzigil ai menu Duzhuk! Zirakzigil, at your service!
[~^!?]

Naerwen winked at Nostariel before returning to her foes. They snarled at her viciously. Naerwen lunged at them, both swords slashing angrily at them. Two orcs jumped to the challenge. Their black broadswords jabbing at her. Naerwen smirked at their foolish and impatient attempts as she jumped back out of their reach. Naerwen was too swift on her feet for them. Twirling in she brought her twin blades down on them both, slashing them across their throats. They tried to squeal, but no noise was made, save for a thud as they hit the floor.

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Nostariel had nearly emptied Naerwen's quiver and still more orcs came. They were outnumbered by a whole lot and she was tiring. Shooting off her last arrow, she slid from the tree and hopped into the midst of the dark army knife in hand and began hacking her way towards Naerwen.

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Zirakzigil ai menu Duzhuk! Zirakzigil, at your service!
[~^!?]

Naerwen was covered from head to foot in orc blood. Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the stench. "Why so many? Where did they come from? Better yet where are they going?" She shouted to Nostariel as she fought through the crowd. Naerwen's body began to ache, but she pushed herself on. Naerwen refused to die at the blade of an orc.

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